Best Great Eats On The Cheap

Grand Central Market’s Standout Stalls

ANA MARIA’S The carnitas tacos at this haven of Mexican food are huge things: nearly half a pound of juicy meat piled on two corn tortillas, with two more tortillas on the side. The shredded beef known as machaca, which is like Jewish brisket with a Latin accent, is also muy sabroso. The tab for this heft? Two dollars. » 317 S. Broadway, C9-10, downtown, 213-620-0477.

WIN PRODUCEShop here and you’ll think twice before shelling out a buck for a head of garlic elsewhere. We scored two fi ve-packs for $1—that’s 10¢ a pop. Avocados are three for $1, and we took home a ripe papaya the size of a toddler for just over $2. You won’t fi nd organic here, but you will fi nd a deal. » 317 S. Broadway, D5, 213-625-7012.

LA HUERTA Aside from the best price in town for gummy candy ($2.49 a pound for bears or worms), the addictive “Spanish lemon peanuts”—salty nuts spiked with citrus and chile ($2.99 a pound)—make this a compulsory stop. We always treat ourselves to a few pieces of mango chamoy—thin strips of the fruit in a sweet-and-sour sticky red glaze—from the huge glass jar on the counter. » 317 S. Broadway, F7-8, 213-437-0100.

LA ADELITA PANDERÍAGrab a round metal tray and a pair of tongs and start loading up: There are at least two dozen varieties of Mexican sweet bread, fl aky pineapple and cherry turnovers, and oversize cookies, which go for about 75¢ apiece. They’re made just a few feet away in the kitchen, where you can see the bakers knead, roll, and form the dough into whimsical crescents and spirals. » 317 S. Broadway, A3-4, 213-628-0777.